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DCU Business School

Information for Applicants for Research Degrees

Dublin City University Business School (DCUBS) represents a research community that provides research support to postgraduate students which is unrivalled in Ireland . This support includes supervision from experienced researchers, top-class research facilities and, for excellent applicants, DCUBS research scholarships.

This document sets out the process for application to the masters by research and PhD programmes in DCU Business School .

PhD applicants (full-time and part-time) should hold a masters degree by research from a recognized university. If they do not possess a masters by research degree (ie a taught masters such as an MBA) they will normally register as a research masters student first for one year. If progress is satisfactory - judged by an oral examination - they may then transfer to the PhD programme. Applicants for a research masters degree must have a good honours primary degree in the discipline in which they intend to research.

Saunders, MNK Lewis, P and Thornhill, A. (2002) Research Methods for Business Students London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
Third Edition

Application Procedure

If you are considering applying to DCU Business School to undertake postgraduate research, you should begin by identifying your preferred research area. You should prepare a brief proposal (of around 2000 words), including references to related literature, and send it to any lecturers in DCU Business School whose research interests are closely related to your proposal. You should be aware that if no members of faculty have undertaken - or are interested in undertaking - research closely related to that of your proposed PhD topic then it is unlikely that you will be accepted. If you wish to pursue postgraduate research at DCU Business School, therefore, you should make sure that your proposed topic is close to the research interests of one or more members of faculty. Once you have established, through your correspondence with relevant member(s) of faculty that there is interest in your proposal, you will most likely be requested to complete a detailed proposal (15 - 20 pages) which should:

clearly outline your chosen research question,

display your familiarity with relevant literature relating to your overall research question in leading-edge research journals,

show how your question is located in the relevant research literature,

indicate the contribution your research will make to this body of research, and

suggest possible methodologies that may be appropriate for your study

This should be submitted to the following e-mail address with a copy of your curriculum vitae: phdbusiness@dcu.ie

Each proposal will be assessed by various members of staff, who have an interest in the applicants chosen research area. The purpose of this process is to ensure the best possible ‘fit' between potential supervisor and applicant. If a staff member indicates a willingness to accept an applicant, the applicant must complete an official application form (PGR 1) which can be found on the registry site at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/forms/pdfs/PGR1.pdf

If English is not the applicant's first language, they must submit a TOEFL score with their application form.

Once an application form has been submitted, the applicant will be requested to attend a formal interview.